Looking for suggestions on Optics for an AR.

This is a discussion on Looking for suggestions on Optics for an AR. within the Bob & Terry's Place forums, part of the The Back Porch category; I didn't feel this question fit well in the Defensive Rifle subforum so here it is.
I am looking at getting an AR-15 that I ...

Looking for suggestions on Optics for an AR.

I didn't feel this question fit well in the Defensive Rifle subforum so here it is.

I am looking at getting an AR-15 that I can use both for SD/Range target shooting but also take hunting. I decided on the RRA LAR-8 but as of now am undecided on the "options". If anyone wants to offer up their opinions on that feel free but I was more looking for suggestions on optics to pair with it. Is there anything out there in a single package that is going to be effective out to 300 or so yards but also work for SD/Range applications? I have looked around but am admittedly new to the rifle scene and don't exactly know what I am looking for. Any and all help is appreciated!

It depends on what you're shooting out to 300 yards. If it's man-sized targets, a red dot (Aimpoint) or holographic sight (EOTech) will work quite well. These typically have 4 MOA red dots which get you on target quickly, even at room-clearing ranges. Their big advantage is that they are parallax-free, and if the dot is anywhere in the field of view, that's where your shot will go. The EOT also has a 65-MOA ring which is super-useful at close range. I believe Aimpoint offers models with smaller dots (1 MOA?).

But if you're shooting ground squirrels at 300 yards, you won't even see them behind a 4 MOA dot, so that use dictates a conventional scope. Essentially, the tradeoff between a red dot sight (RDS) and a scope is that the former favors speed over precision. For defensive, non-hunting purposes, I think that's an appropriate priority. You can get external magnifiers that work with the RDS, but then you're effectively buying two optics, with that level of investment.

Considering the 7.62x51, "reach out and touch someone" chambering, if I was hard over on the dual-use, I'd get a smaller-dot Aimpoint, and mount some good folding iron sights that would serve the close-range defensive purposes.

It depends on what you're shooting out to 300 yards. If it's man-sized targets, a red dot (Aimpoint) or holographic sight (EOTech) will work quite well. These typically have 4 MOA red dots which get you on target quickly, even at room-clearing ranges. Their big advantage is that they are parallax-free, and if the dot is anywhere in the field of view, that's where your shot will go. The EOT also has a 65-MOA ring which is super-useful at close range. I believe Aimpoint offers models with smaller dots (1 MOA?).

But if you're shooting ground squirrels at 300 yards, you won't even see them behind a 4 MOA dot, so that use dictates a conventional scope. Essentially, the tradeoff between a red dot sight (RDS) and a scope is that the former favors speed over precision. For defensive, non-hunting purposes, I think that's an appropriate priority. You can get external magnifiers that work with the RDS, but then you're effectively buying two optics, with that level of investment.

Considering the 7.62x51, "reach out and touch someone" chambering, if I was hard over on the dual-use, I'd get a smaller-dot Aimpoint, and mount some good folding iron sights that would serve the close-range defensive purposes.

It would be Whitetail at 300 yards or perhaps Wild Boar...would your recommendation of a RDS still stand with that in mind?

You're posing a question with no definitive answers. I think you need to try a good RDS for yourself to know for sure. If you're used to a scope, keeping both eyes open as you do with an RDS may not come naturally to you. And if your vision is worse than average, the lack of magnification means that you'll have a hard time putting a 2 MOA dot on the right place on the deer at 300 yards, since there is no magnification on the standalone Aimpoint/EOT. On the other hand, if you're shooting running boars, I think an RDS might be just the ticket since the both-eyes-open use will help keep you on that moving target.

If I knew for certain that my shots on game would mostly be taken at ranges in excess of 150 yards, I'd opt for a conventional scope. If your pockets are deep enough, get some really good QD mounts and throw the Aimpoint back on once the venion is in the pickup!